More than 700 authors and illustrators have endorsed Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris and VP candidate Tim Walz, in a letter circulated by the coalition Kidlit for Kamala.
Timing their announcement to Banned Books Week, Kidlit for Kamala called the letter the “first example of authors working cross-genre to support a presidential candidate,” with signatories including novelists Kelly Link, Celeste Ng, and crossover author Renée Watson, as well as creators Kathi Appelt, Tracey Baptiste, Holly Black, David Levithan, Brian Selznick, and Paul O. Zelinsky.
“The outreach for this letter has been an amazing team effort” across creative networks, Celeste Pewter, a founding member of Kidlit for Kamala, told PW. “We shared it strategically online and were blown away by the enthusiasm. It's been a really great opportunity to meet writers from other genres.”
Kidlit for Kamala organizer Carrie Firestone said, “We began circulating the letter on or around August 31, so it’s taken about three weeks to get the signatures." She added that “many authors and illustrators at this weekend’s Chappaqua Children's Book Festival will be wearing buttons featuring our #ComeVoteWithMe slogan. We’ll be making art and telling stories aimed at bringing people together to celebrate voting and civic engagement.”
“People are definitely fired up,” agreed Martha Brockenbrough, who founded the organization with Firestone, Pewter, and editorial consultant Christy Yaros.
“The difference between the two candidates and their parties on censorship are stark. The freedom to read is under attack and it is harming our industry and the young readers we serve.”
The Harris/Walz endorsement particularly emphasizes anti-censorship principles and protests “the systematic targeting, attacking, and erasure of our work by Republican lawmakers.” The signatories, identified as “storytellers,” defend the freedom to read for authors and illustrators, teachers and librarians, and young readers “who are just beginning to see themselves on the page, who deserve to encounter challenging ideas, expand their empathy, and build their sense of self-worth.” Echoing the campaign’s “we’re not going back” slogan, the organizers write, “We’re not going back to a place where only a chosen few stories are allowed through the gates.”
Via social media, Kidlit for Kamala urges the children’s book community and wider audiences to respond creatively to a “word of the week” and has created Club 47—referencing the future 47th U.S. president—for people who make 47 calls, knock on 47 doors, or send 47 postcards to encourage voting. “It’s been fun to cheer on the engagement,” Brockenbrough said.
More events are in the works, too. On Freedom to Read Day, October 19, “We’ll be teaming up with the Harris/Walz campaign for a coast-to-coast phone banking event with special guests,” Firestone said, with more information forthcoming on their website.
According to Pewter, it’s “another example of kidlit power in action.”
